Vandaveer

Not to be confused with fellow art-folk group Vetiver, Washington, D.C.’s Vandaveer sports a smokier yet more straightforward sound that feels born and bred in the back room of some bohemian cafe. And while that may sound like damnation with faint praise, Vandaveer manages to stagger between Tom Waits rasp…

Japandroids

At first glance, people may have a hard time distinguishing Vancouver’s Japandroids from Brooklyn’s Japanther. Both are stripped-down, two-piece, lo-fi garage-rock bands whose members share vocal duties, and both have a certain kinship with the Land of the Rising Sun. Musically, though, Japandroids offer more depth and passion, making them…

The Big Pink

London’s Big Pink borrowed its name from the Band’s classic debut album and set about producing music possessed of vast, swirling horizons and heady dynamics. The record’s introspective, declarative lyrics are like beacons in the hazy early-morning soundscape. In that respect, the Big Pink is reminiscent of British dream-pop bands…

Snuggle!

With pop punk having pretty much become a parody of itself these days, it’s difficult to be surprised by anything that anyone playing that kind of music has to offer. So how is it that a bunch of kids from Seattle got together to form a melodic, poppy punk band…

Bank Robber

You won’t like Vultures if you can’t get past its throaty, nearly screamo vocals or the alloy of hardcore and thrash and lyrics that read like an unabashed screed against society’s ills and personal angst. If, however, you want to hear a record in which a band displays dynamic shifts…

A Melodic Daydream

Putting your heart on your sleeve is one thing — but Fort Collins’s A Melodic Daydream takes it a big step further. Fronted by the songwriting couple LnZ Kaid and Chris Newton, the group has packed its new eight-song disc, A Little Weird, with more unabashed emotion than most emo…

The Alltunators

If you walk into a restaurant and it’s live-music Friday and the Alltunators are playing, you should feel pretty good about that. Their presence will enhance your meal, and they may put just enough hootenanny in your heart to compel you to throw a buck in their tip jar at…

The Mighty Eighteen Wheeler

Once a trio churning out reverb-drenched, Stray Cats-infused rockabilly, the Mighty Eighteen Wheeler has gotten progressively heavier with each album. On 2006’s Charmed Life, the guys turned up the distortion and steered more into Reverend Horton Heat territory. Now a four-piece led by Halden Wofford, the band kicks up another…

All Time Low reaches an all-time high on its current tour

Sleeping with band dudes doesn’t make you famous.” The words scrawl across a closed door after the stock “band slut” walks in behind the drummer in All Time Low’s new video for “Weightless.” Just a few years back, the four Baltimore-based post-punkers wouldn’t have known anything about that sort of…

Savoy at the Bluebird

So what are they putting in the water up in Boulder these days? First 3OH!3 takes its ridiculous electro-hop shtick and turns into one of the biggest bands in America. Now Savoy is emerging as the kind of body-rocking electro act that goes down easy with the rock kids but…

Breaking: Monolith Festival on the ropes

Just received word from Josh Baker, co-curator of Monolith, that the future of the indie-centric festival is uncertain. (Read Baker’s full statement after the jump.) Although the turnout for this year’s festival seemed to increase slightly from year’s past and the lineup itself seemed more solid than ever, with headliners…

Kevin Geraghty gets another case of the blues

Kevin Geraghty is back in LoDo. After being out of the game for a number of years running his own software company, the former owner of Brendan’s Blues Pub is back to doing what he does best, bringing in and spotlighting the best blues music to town. “We’re putting the…

Joe King making a name for himself apart from the Fray

Perhaps taking a cue from his pal Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, who’s written and produced songs for an array of top shelf pop acts, including Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce and Leona Lewis, Fray guitarist Joe King is steadily making a name for himself as a burgeoning songwriter in his own right…

Flier of the week: Savoy at the Bluebird

Can you say “disco”? That’s what jumps out at here, due largely to the slick Savoy logo and the supporting typography (love that silly dotted display font, designer!). The image here is arresting, even if it isn’t communicating much beyond “Gasp!” I guess that means Savoy is an exciting and…

Animals at Risk mash-up Beastie Boys with Ideal Fathers

The latest remix/mash-up from Animals at Risk — the remix crew made up of Matt Fecher/DJ Hot to Death with Yonnas from the Pirate Signal — is alive. The new track, “Intergalactic Fathers,” takes the Beastie Boys classic “Intergalactic,” chops up lots of little bits from Ideal Fathers “The Tendrils…

Last Night: Pixies at the Fillmore Auditorium (bonus review)

For those with tickets to tonight’s Pixies show, here’s a bonus review with another perspective, to give you a clear idea of exactly what to expect this evening. If you haven’t already check out Jon Solomon’s review.PixiesFillmore AuditoriumMonday, November 16, 2009Better than: having whores in your head.See more photos on…

Last Night: Pixies at Fillmore Auditorium

For those with tickets to tonight’s Pixies show, we just posted a bonus review from Adam Perry with another perspective, to give you a clear idea of exactly what to expect this evening. PixiesFillmore AuditoriumMonday, November 16, 2009See more photos on the slideshow page.Better than: having whores in your head.  About…

Over the weekend: Six Months to Live at the Meadowlark

Six Months to Live, deadbubbles and Dario Rosa Saturday, November 14, 2009 Meadowlark Better Than: The second big snowstorm of the season outside. Opening act deadbubbles set the pace for the rest of the show with an energetic set of rock and roll full of more than its fair share…